Leaves turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. A crisp wind blows on them and the leaves flutter gently to the ground, leaving branches bare to face the coming winter months. As the last remnants of warmer summer days disappear, the least we can do is prepare a creamy bowl of summer chowder soup. 

This soup is a perfect soup for anyone, especially beginners. In this recipe, you will be making a roux, which is a mixture of flour and fat. By making a roux, we can thicken the soup and give it some extra weight. We can also achieve this by adding heavy cream. In this recipe, we use a variety of vegetables, and you can mix and match almost any type of vegetable in any amount. However, the measurements and ingredients of this recipe are tried and true, so they are guaranteed to grant you a yummy soup!

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4):

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup bell pepper (can be red, green or yellow, or a mix of them!)
• ½ onion (red or yellow), chopped
• 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 ½ cup vegetable stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 cups corn kernel (frozen or fresh)
• ½ russet potato, diced
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• seasoning: salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper

Here are some substitutions you may make (although it may compromise your result):

• heavy cream → whole milk
• vegetable stock → chicken, bone or beef stock
• for some heat, add ⅓ finely chopped jalapeno pepper
• lemon juice → lime juice, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat and add bell pepper and onion. Cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add flour and stir until a paste forms (this is your roux!)
3. Pour in vegetable stock and heavy cream, stir until evenly colored
4. Add corn and potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper
5. Bring to a gentle simmer and cover. Let cook for 15 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes, pour in lemon juice
7. Cook for 5 minutes until potatoes are softened. If needed, continue to flavor with seasonings until satisfactory.
8. Serve and enjoy!

This summer chowder recipe is delicious and great for any time of year. Feel free to make this recipe your own and customize ingredients based on what you like to eat! Remember to be careful when working with sharp knives and open flames. Stay tuned next week for another recipe!